Bring Me the Horizon
by teacupdestiny
Summary: Katara of the Southern Water Tribe terrorizes the seas with her band of women warriors. Attacking the Fire Lord's ship is only the latest in a string of unbelievably bold crimes. Zutara pirate AU.
1. Rouge Waves

[a/n]: Alright, before anyone asks, yes, I am still working on my other stories. I have discontinued Bad Fortunetelling, unfortunately, but the other three I'm working on are still in progress. This story has turned into a way for me to burn off stress and write something fresh and new, without drowning in writer's block. In other words, this may not be up to my usual standards, because this story is purely for the heck of it.

I hope you all enjoy it anyway.

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><p><strong>[Rogue waves]<strong>: (_also_ _known as freak_ _waves, monster waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves)_ _Relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface waves that occur far out at sea, and are a threat even to large ships and ocean liners._

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><p>He expects his soldiers to put up more of a fight, but then he catches sight of exactly what they're up against. She's a waterbender, but she must also be part kraken or octopus-whale or whatever creature could be capable of flinging arms of rushing water with enough force to down dozens of men with each blow. Beside her strength, her crew is almost inconsequential. It's filled with the usual measure of earth and water benders, even a single firebending woman. And that's when he realizes it. They're <em>all<em> women.

This pirate is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and she has some serious nerve to attack the Fire Lord's ship. But then she's standing in front of him, tentacles of water splashing harmlessly to the ground and the only thought he has is that she's much prettier than the caricatures in the news sheets. The woman bows, her form perfect and expression completely sardonic, just as her crew has finishes incapacitating his entire guard.

The ship is enveloped in silence.

"Have you come to surrender yourself?" he asks imperiously.

She straightens, rolling those pretty blue eyes and snorting.

"Hardly, _Fire Lord Zuko_," she says, twisting his title with her mocking tone, "But I do have a gift for you."

He tenses, forces himself to stare her down. There's a good chance he could fight his way out of this, if he could his mind off how good-looking this woman is. Zuko tries to ignore the way little hairs have escaped her braid and curled tightly, pretends that her blue tunic does not drape itself over her upper body in the most annoyingly attractive way. The pirate Katara is supposed to be greatly feared, but all he can think of is how easily she'd fit into his arms. Zuko watches as she half turns away from him, whistles sharply.

Something appears in the sky, a tiny dot that grows larger and larger until there is a thud and there is a little boy standing behind Katara. The fierceness in her eyes fades for a moment and she reaches back to nudge the boy back into plain sight, much like a mother dragon presenting her baby to his sire for the first time.

Zuko inhales sharply, surprise hitting him like a blow to the stomach.

The little boy is dressed in yellows and oranges, carrying a little wooden staff. His eyes are gray and his smile shy, but there is a blue arrow tattoo on his bald little head pointing out for all the world to see that this child is an airbender.

"Hi, I'm Aang!" the boy says, "I'm the Avatar!"


	2. Shallow Waters

**PART TWO**

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><p>Everything depends on her performance. She doesn't need Fire Lord Zuko to like her, she just needs to get what she wants. What she <em>needs<em>. Katara cannot forget how many lives are riding on this, how many futures will crumble if she fails. She can't be focusing on how attractive he is, not when he'd he easily gut her like a morning fish if it came down to it.

"Why bring the Avatar to me?" he asks, facing the window.

He's taller than she expected, cuter than she'd think a guy with a hideous scar could be. A whole lot more at ease than a man should be when his ship has been taken over. But he just watches calmly from his office window, as his crew is chained to the deck of his own ship. Her healers are working on the injured, Aang practicing his healing right alongside them. Healing isn't his greatest skill, but he's working on it. The Fire Lord can't seem to tear his eyes away.

"I know how valuable he is," she tells him, "and how much the world would pay for him."

It's not true—she hardly cares about the potential money. Long Feng would, perhaps, pay the most, but his word is worse than his fashion sense and he'd just string Aang along with the rest of his puppet rulers. The Water Tribes won't deal with her and she wouldn't let them turn her gentle airbender into some sort of misogynist (the south simply doesn't have enough strength yet to appose their northern sisters—they'd never be able to protect Aang). Zuko has much less to offer her, but he'll protect the Avatar with his life. Katara doesn't quite like the Fire Nation—not after what happened to her tribe during the war—but this is about keeping Aang safe while he completes his training. The Fire Lord, she knows, will honor whatever promise she can wrangle out of him.

"How do I know this is truly the Avatar?" he asks, finally turning.

She's lounging in the stiff chair he provided, playing the nonchalant, careless criminal. Pretending she doesn't care is easy, but the Fire Lord's sharp gaze lingers on her for longer than she likes.

"He's a master airbender, a proficient waterbender, and beginning earthbender," she explains, "and if you require a demonstration, it will be easy enough to provide one."

She meets his stare, forces herself to hold it. She thinks about how much Suki would like to marry Sokka, how much Ming-Ming wants a safe place for her baby, and how much Toph wants to kiss the sweet, earthy ground again. These dreams keep her buoyed, keep her desperate enough to stare down the most powerful man in the world.

"What do you want for him?" the Fire Lord asks, eyes cold.

He probably expects gold and silver, probably thinks so little of her that she'd trade _the Avatar_ for paltry baubles. Katara steels herself.

"Clemency for my crew," she says, "And your word that you will protect and support Aang while he completes his training."

His gaze is unreadable, but he nods. "That can be arranged."

She stands, "Swear on your honor."

His eyes widen. He hesitates. Katara scowls.

"I can snap my fingers and Aang will be _gone_—you know I'll do it," she says, "Can the world wait another ten years for the Avatar to appear? Another _lifetime_?"

The Fire Lord's face darkens. "Are you threatening to kill the Avatar?"

He doesn't know that she'd never harm her sweet air baby, has no clue that doing this for her crew is breaking her heart into tiny pieces because she'd sacrifice it all if she ever had a _hope_ of keeping Aang. She steels herself.

"I'll do _anything_." she says.

They stare each other down. His eyes are filled with disgust, hers with defiance. And then finally, the Fire Lord nods.

"I swear on my honor that you and your crew will be granted official pardons," he says, "And I will protect the Avatar to the best of my ability."

The heavy worry disappears, her heart soars.

"Then we have a deal," she replies, fighting a smile, "We'll give our farewells quickly and be off your ship within the hour."

She stopped believing in respect and royalty long, long ago, but she bows to the Fire Lord. She'd heard the stories about his honor, seen the way he restored the integrity of his nation. She'll trust this man to protect her airbender and free her crew from the shackle of old crimes. And even as her heart sinks with the knowledge that she must tell Aang goodbye, she's happy. Katara allows her gaze to linger on the Fire Lord. He's going to make some girl real happy someday, but she's a pirate and her patience for nobility ran out years ago.

She walks away.

"Where you really going to kill him?"

She pauses at the door, turns. The Fire Lord regards her with a speculative gaze.

She could tell him that she's sung him to sleep every night since he tumbled out of the ice berg, that the little bison whistle he'd lost two months ago was actually tucked into her sash, right against her skin. She could give him a thousand reasons why she'd never touch a hair on that boy's head, but she's not Aang's mother. She's a fearsome pirate lord and so she tells him _yes_.


End file.
